Spazzmanda

There are some changes going on right now where I work that have me all… conflicted. A sad departure? A new opportunity? On many levels, I’m just so torn, between what there is to be done, the thing that needs to be done, the moral right thing to do and what is currently expected from me– and none of these things, mind you, are ever, ever, ever the SAME thing, the comfortable thing, or even the easy thing. Blah. I can’t even really communicate all that is going on, nor do I really want to… once again… right here… in my safe place.

I shall skip on to the knitting.

Super-secret-finished-object numero uno:

For more details, see Ravelry.

Also, I started this over the weekend:

For our “Hedge” A-long- where many of us are knitting a felted hedgehog at the same time. I made much progress on this little fucker before finishing the blanket o’death (pictured above.) All yarn from said hedgehog is a remnant from my stash (and Shari’s- thanks for the fun fur so I can make him all one color.)
This isn’t the “easiest” pattern to read, you are kind of have to be assumed to have half a brain, I really favor “moron-worded” patterns myself.

Yeah, he will be a cute little door-stopper for my mother once I come up with something heavy to stuff him with. Shari suggested rice, I asked her- “What about bugs?” She mused, but confirmed that rice would probably be better…

Wait for it.

It is funny… Maybe you had to be there.

Me and my knittas went to the Twisted Skeins in Clarkesville this weekend (gosh, I needed that outing. It healed my soul a little that day, thanks in great part to Shari for being… a perfect friend and destination-knitting-companion exactly when and where I needed her. Uncanny.)

In the immortal words of Forrest, Forrest Gump:

“That’s all I have to say about that.”

I love knitting for myself, it feels so decadent right now, my birthdayweek, particularly with the deadline knitting I’ve been doing, like, since November.

Here is the Rosebud Bag before felting (thank you darling Gnarly for being there for an indication of scale.)

And after, sorry no kitty for scale, but it shrunk about 13% or so.

I need to assemble and attach the roses and leaves, then put in the bamboo handles and finish it off with the lining. Here are the handles and lining (this fabric was going to be on the outside chairs until Jeff made me throw them away and get new and better chairs, no matter, it will be a pretty new lining for my new spring summer bag!) Damn it is hot here already. Can you believe it is already in the nineties? Doesn’t that happen in JULY???!!!

I need to make a pocket, any ideas on how to do that?

And here is the long-term project, with the Sea Silk. (mmmmmmmmm, pretty, pretty seasilk.) I was wrong yesterday the colorway is called “Woodlands” and it is subtle purples (more of an aubergine) with mossy greens and dark blues that look so much better in person than in this crappy photograph. The pattern is the Stormwater Shawl and will end up being this pretty, geometric-type lace pattern. I love it, but right now it looks like boiled ass- apparently all lace looks pretty craptastic until it is finished and properly blocked. Nevermind, here is the progress photo:

Anyone recall that I participated in the International Fiber Collaborative project last year, well, early this year when I finished? No? I posted about it here and even here.

Let me sum up. Artist Jennifer Marsh came up with the brilliant idea to essentially upholster an abandoned, unused gas station as social commentary on our country’s dependance on oil products (I hope I got that right- forgive me if I am not completely with it, I’m too excited.)

So, I sent my square. (You can see it here if you are so inclined.) Well, I got notice she had received it, but I checked and checked on the pages where you can view the squares on her site and alas, mine was not there. I was sad. Then I got an email about the installation of the project (it looks pretty freakin’ awesome in the completed state) and I found this:

Look closely, verrrrry closely. THAT square on the front right corner is all MINE baby. (Well I did have some help, thanks to the Northeast Georgia Yarnsters) but see that mitered square- that was me for rizzle dizzle. I’d recognize that bulgy hunk of crap anywhere. I’m so very pleased. I aided in an important work of art, a large-scale politically-minded cozy.

Now, you too can create a delightful “Green Ogre” hat (a la Shrek) for your little beasties. I am thrilled I get to share this as my very first pattern. I’ve made things up before for sure, but this time I took the trouble to do MATH for you people and type it all out.

Click on the link below and you should magically have a PDF file.

Enjoy!

spazzgreenogrehat

(Modeled by my favorite red-headed monster. Photograph courtesy of my pal Olaf. I totally “borrowed” it from his flickr site because the only other hat photo I have is this. I’m sure all will understand why I thieved.)

*Disclaimer: I am not as proficient in mathematics as I am verbal, and subsequently, the pattern may not be without flaw. But handmade things have flaws and I’m ok with that. If you are not, I suggest you gauge swatch and do your own math. Let me know if you have problems with the pattern, but I reserve the right not to care. It is free. Free as a bird. Free like the wind. Free as…Well, you get it.

Although I didn’t ever want to be strictly a knitting blog (because I do have life outside of knitting you know) I must face the fact that I am a serious knitter. I’ve got the ladies in my knitting class fooled into believing that I actually might know what I’m talking about, so I suppose if you walk the walk and talk the talk…. I was telling them last night that a top-down raglan construction kind of scared me because I was afraid I couldn’t do it, and wouldn’t you know, I can! My pal Pixie just wrote and published her first pattern on Ravelry, so of course I had to get me a copy and couldn’t wait to start churning out the lovliness that is the Country Kiddie. (This will be for Ashlyn’s first birthday this summer)

Yes, I’m Magic Looping because it is less fiddely and you only need one needle for, like, ever. Notice my beyootiful stitch markers, I got them at Knots of Yarn, they are sterling silver with a little pink bead, sooooo cute. (And quite the splurge for me, I was using washers and old earrings and wine charms before!)

Also on the needles is the Yarn Harlot’s Earl Grey Socks (Ravelry link here)

There’s a LOT of stitches in these little buggers. And the cable is interesting, but these are going to take some time. He may have them in time for winter. Now there is a “sweater curse” that if you knit a sweater for a non-husband type (ahem) you will immediately break up. Miss Jenny pointed out that there are a lot of stitches (possibly sweater equivalent) and that I might want to use caution. I might end up agreeing with her, but I like the yarn and I like my man a lot so I do want to make something for him with love (awwwwww.) Also worth noting, he did lose the Alien scarf. Lost. It.

Socks are less likely to be lost since when out of the house they are attached to your feet, so I’m not so concerned about the can-you-handle-the-responsibility-of-made-with-love-knitwear. Food for thought.

I have been pretty busy on the fiber front, and I’m pleased with the progress!

Great news- I think I have finally achieved gauge for the beautiful yarn I was gifted at Chrismas from the lovely Barbara and John Olin. I’ve been looking for the perfect garment, a simple silhouette that would compliment this silk mohair blend without being too fussy, too complicated or something I would never wear in a million years.

Best of all, I’ve achieved gauge- which means I can finally get started on this lovely top. It was designed to be knit in cotton, so I have some minor concerns about using the Silk Rhapsody, however the drape and stretch of the swatch of the fabric is quite pretty, so I’m optimistic that the results will be nice.

Look how pretty!

Also this week, I’ve finished my first pair of socks!

Let’s see, what else. OH! I entered the Interweave poetry contest with this Haiku. The first prize is your poem knit into a pair of mittens, how cool is that?

Alas, I must work on my taxes now- feh. I figure I’m thirty years old so my mom shouldn’t be helping me with my taxes any more- adulthood and all. Maybe I’ll reward myself later and dye some sock yarn with kool aid. FUN!

I finished something that is knitted! I know, January is almost over and I have a teensy little baby hat to show for myself! How wonderful!

This is my niece, Miss Ashlyn Skye and she is probably the cutest baby on the planet and I just love, love, love her. Particularly when she looks so damn cute in the ruffled baby hat I made for her. I used a stray ball of Knit Picks Shine Sport in a periwinkle color (sorry, I don’t know off hand.) I just love how the cotton blend drapes for this delightful little ruffle! I also don’t remember where I got the initial pattern from which I drew my inspiration, but I really didn’t use it for much more than the general idea and then made up a pattern myself so it would fit her age group since the pattern was for a newborn and at almost six months, her head is decidedly larger. I cast on 180 sts. using US#5 Addi Turbos, joined in the round and worked for an inch or so and then decreased by knitting two together all the way around. I worked an eyelet row (K2tog, YO) for the ribbon then proceeded in stockinette until it was almost four inches from the beginning, then did my decreases (K 8, K2tog, repeat, then knit a row, then K7, K2tog, knit a row) until I was down to 9 stitches. Voila! Baby Hat that fits a 5, no, 6 month old baby!

Still working feverishly on the top secret, non-knitting but still needle worked project for a special birthday that was, er, yesterday. (I’m still so behind!)

UPDATE:

This hat is getting rave reviews from Mommy. She likes the ribbon, it makes it a little ‘adjustable’ as well as fashionable. She likes the yarn choice a lot too because it is cotton it is warm without being too warm, or something. She sees her wearing this into the spring, circumference of head allowing, of course.

So, this weekend I attempted to begin to use my lovely Silk Rhapsody handpainted silk mohair yarn that I received from Miss Margaret (Hi Babs!). First, I had an issue when rolling the yarn into a ball- the silk didn’t have any ‘give’ and my center-pull ball collapsed on itself almost immediately. Luckily, Jeff was there to save the day (he is very good at untangling things) and I didn’t lose a single yard. I went to my Roswell yarn shop (the Cast On Cottage) on a very fun outing with Jen, Jenny and Mom on Saturday where I was told that my silk yarn would require a yarn bra because, obviously, it needed some support.  And no, I’m not joking. So for around $3.50, I purchased an assortment of 4 yarn bras. (It is fun to say yarn bra, repeat it to yourself five times fast.)  So, I commenced with the swatching to make a yummy little wrap sweater from Fitted Knits. After about two attempts it became clear that I was never going to achieve a proper gauge for this pattern and rewriting the pattern far exceeds my mathematical skills.

Jenny helped me to realize that it is better to admit this to yourself at the beginning of a project rather than to waste your time (or the yarn) because mohair is a bitch to rip out and why don’t I sign up for Ravelry (you know, the online community of knitters that share their goodies, knowledge, projects, ideas, etc. with other knitters?) I’m not much of a joiner, so I hemmed and hawwed my way through the conversation, and pouted.

And then I pouted some more. I want to make a sweatery type garment out of this yarn. (I have 1040 yards of probably the sexiest, nicest, prettiest, softest yarn that I will EVER own in my life and no, I don’t want to make a shawl.)  I went to the Art Yarns website and saw a pattern or two that were ok, but nothing that I would truly wear. There is a new book on lacy little things to wear, appropriately called Lacy Little Knits that might have something that will do in it, but I don’t know if I’m into purchasing yet another book right now (I have so many.)

So, yesterday I succumbed. I signed up for Ravelry. I’m in line probably behind a billion other people, but presumably, once I’m granted access to the fiber fiesta inside, all I’ll need to do is enter the type of yarn and a whole sea of potential ideas will roll my way.

Presumably. For now, I must be content with rubbing the silk on my face.

Sniff sniff.

I made some fingerless gloves for my grandpa and some mitts for my grandma.  They live in Florida, but get chilly (like today, holy crap it is cold!) and I’m so glad they like their knitted gifts!

Here is my Mima and Dida:

Gosh I love them.

Imagine it surrounded by blue jello and you have the finished project. It is two sheet cakes stacked (then frozen) then carved in the general shape of a naval aircraft carrier. (the most expensive part of this cake were the airplanes- but they were absolutely necessary for the success of the piece and they came with the bonus blue sky backdrop.) The tower is made from two mini-loafs, frozen then cut (a very important step) and then iced with pretzels stuck in for the antennae. All in all, it was a very cool cake to make and pretty tasty (so I’ve heard) so I think it to be a success. I do believe I may have peaked in my short career as a hobbyist/amateur cake chef. I don’t think I can out do this one, so I’m going to retire for a bit- maybe focus on pies. If you want to see REAL culinary talent, please check out my friend Jen at sugarchef.com. (Hi Jen!) She is a south-Floridian now and I haven’t seen her in ages, but she remains a pastry chef and artist that has impeccable taste and talent, and I love her dearly!

Also, I finished my Le Slouch last night (helloooo- free pattern over at Knit and Tonic!) Actually, it started as a Christmas gift, hence the no progress photos so as to not spoil the surprise, but then I remembered how last year, I made all these cute beaded fingerless mitts and never a pair for myself (sniff sniff) so I decided to keep her.

Besides, I had to retool the gauge a tad (I was using a finer yarn than the pattern called for.) And I swatched. Ok, I semi-swatched so it is a hair bigger than it could be, but it is a slouchy beret and I love it. Crap, don’t ask me to recall the yarn. I bought it at Hobby Lobby a month or so ago. I actually think it is actually a baby yarn, but it is cool with this little white and pink wrap around the black, made the seed stitch really ‘pop.’ Yes, probably asscrylic, but it is soft and I don’t care. I do have an affinity for black and pink together, so this was meant to be my hat. (See how I justify being so far behind on the holiday knitting and keeping an FO for myself?) I’m not going to sweat it, really.

Tah!